Thursday, March 3, 2011

Korean fashion - couple tees!

When I started this blog, my intention was to profile countries I have not yet had the pleasure of visiting. So, in the spirit of full disclosure, I feel I must state that I have been to Korea for a super quick layover. I was only there 8 hours, 4 of which were spent in the airport or on a bus - however, I enjoyed my time there so much that I promised myself I'd get back one day!

One of the first things Shannon (cousin/roomate/fellow traveler) and I noticed about Korean people was a fashion trend we couldn't help but noticing in the Bangkok Airport as we waited to board our flight to Seoul - people dressed like this:

and this:

Shannon and I kept staring and trying to figure out why all the couples on our flight were dressed similarly, and we tried, ever so sneakily, to take pictures to document who we saw, however we knew it would be too obvious to flat out take a picture, so Shannon would pretend she was taking a picture of me and then would quick whip the camera to the side to catch the couple - which lead to a bunch of blurry pictures like this one:

We got off the plane and met up with our amazing tour guides (Seungji and Hyein - former host students of my friend Heather) and when we asked them about the outfits we noticed, they told us that they are called "couple tees" and are super popular in Korea. Here's some examples:

I like how sometimes the design connects from one person to the other, however sometime it can lead to awkward situations of standing on the wrong side...AHHHHH!

Shannon and I kept pestering our new friends to learn more about the trend and when we asked what happened when people broke up and had extensive collections of couple tees, we found out that some people burn them when relationships end! Yikes!!!!

Has anyone seen this trend in other countries? I don't think I've noticed it here in the U.S. at all, but I'm definitely keeping my eyes open!

4 comments:

Americans have "couple tee's", but usually they have such a moronic slogan ("I'm with stupid" and an arrow pointing to the other party), that they are indeed just that. While on "that" subject, who are "the Chromatics"???

About Me

I love to write about my passions - art, food, travel, music, other cultures....the list goes on and on! I live in beautiful, sunny Ocean Beach, CA, and I am thankful for every day of my amazing life! I am a lifelong learner, and my blogs share some of the insight I've gained!